


Behind the line of no return

by TururaJ



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Apocalypse, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Mystery, Post-Finale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2019-11-12 10:42:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18009431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TururaJ/pseuds/TururaJ
Summary: “What… What happened back there?”For a long time Kaizuka looks very reluctant to answer, then at last he blinks and tells him, “I don’t know.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so. I'm not very proud of this story, but there are certain scenes I still wish to write for it, and therefore I decided to post the first part (to cut myself any ways of never finishing it). There will be only two parts, but, knowing me, the update may not come for a long time lol.

It all happens so fast he can’t grasp the reality. First - he is on board of the UFE plane, sitting together with Kaizuka, and then - he is here, standing behind Kaizuka’s back, tense and alert, an image of being the man’s loyal dog for the day burning strong on his mind. The crowd around them is huge; there are many reporters; the cameras keep flashing non-stop, and he hears himself hissing “You’re mad, Kaizuka!” which gets him an indifferent “But you wanted to come, didn’t you?” The glasses on his nose keep falling down, and Slaine pushes them back to the rightful place, hoping no one would decide to study his poorly done cover.

Right. In his head he can almost see the future articles: ‘Slaine Saazbaum Troyard found alive at the Empress’ Asseylum Aldnoah Activation Ceremony.’ What a surprise! Sure, let’s get the Third Interplanetary War started just because Kaizuka Inaho is a dumbass. For a second Slaine considers kicking Kaizuka’s leg, but the action is probably going to arouse a lot of unnecessary curiosity so Slaine just lowers his head more, hides behind Kaizuka and frowns. He is acting like a scared puppy and he doesn’t like it.

Truth to be told though, he is a bit scared. Five years of prison and then suddenly this - a bright summer day full of people of Vers and Earth, the greenery, the flowers, the blinding sun. And Asseylum - he doesn’t know where she is exactly, but somewhere close. He knows he’ll finally see her for the first time since his imprisonment. He’ll watch how she goes up the podium and he’ll see her smile. Kaizuka had informed him she’d be pregnant, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing does besides her happiness.

Slaine bites down the faint hurt he still feels for she hadn’t come to visit him and never wrote him a word or two as he believed she would. He understands he doesn’t deserve it, but can’t help the disappointment and the painful longing. After all these years and he is still ‘bound’ as Kaizuka had said during one of their weekly meetings and Slaine feels too old to deny it. He really shouldn’t be here, at this ceremony, while his sole existence is putting the Earth-Vers peace treaty under danger, not to mention how much he could ruin Kaizuka’s career and reputation. Slaine doesn’t really think being here falls within Kaizuka’s right ‘to take the prisoner out for a walk’.

“It’s starting,” Kaizuka says, and Slaine raises his head to catch the first glimpse of the beautiful white dress that doesn’t quite hide the Empress’ belly. All his fears forgotten, Slaine thinks the day is perfect and couldn’t ever get more perfect. He doesn’t even mind Kaizuka’s scrutinizing eyes on him. The man’s been looking at him strangely recently, but Slaine brushes the thought away. Asseylum is here, and he feels that he can breathe freely for the first time in years.

His heart beats in happiness, his soul soars in awe, his lips shiver from the excitement, and then - then something goes wrong. The sky is suddenly crimson, and it presses down. There is noise, high pitched, making his teeth chatter. The Earth beneath trembles, the dust and dead leaves are flying into the air. People scream.

He loses his balance and falls onto his knees, his own voice joins the chorus of agonizing cries. Seconds tickle away; he writhes on the ground, desperately covers his ears. There is not enough air. He can’t think. He wants to move his body the way it won’t hurt, but writhing doesn’t help. He wants the sound to stop, but it goes on and on and on as if it rings directly inside his skull. 

It all ends as fast as it has started. Kaizuka’s worried voice serves as an anchor for him to open his eyes.

“Troyard, get up! Troyard!”

Slaine sits shakily, feels Kaizuka’s strong grip on his shoulders. All around them people are not moving. There is blood on their faces, blood trickling down from their eyes and ears. The greenery has wilted and lies dead on the earth. The sky’s color is still red.

Terrified, Slaine turns his head to look at the podium. Right in the center of it he sees a strange tree that wasn’t there a minute ago. His vision is still hazy and he has to concentrate to see more clearly. The branches are sharp like spears, a horde of them; there are no leaves, and the tree gives off the metallic glint - at least where it isn’t covered by blood. Slaine moves his eyes lower - onto the part where those branches seem to appear from. There is something there… a body?

Kaizuka follows his eyes and freezes, seeming to realize what they are seeing faster than Slaine. His hands fall from Slaine’s shoulders. Slaine tries to take a breath and fails.

It is Asseylum there. Dead, lying on the ground, bound by the roots of the spear-tree, which is growing out of her pierced belly - right where her future child should have been. The branches reach out of her body slowly, with sickening cracking sounds, and move upwards, towards the bloody sky. 

Slaine feels the bile in his throat, and then sees no more.

***

“Is she alive?” The thought is stuck in his head like an old gramophone record his father liked to listen to from time to time. One day he had forgotten to stop the music before becoming lost in his studies and the record kept repeating the loud and irritating noise all night long. Slaine was too young and scared to touch his father’s things; he spent the night curled on the carpet with his hands over his ears.

“Is she alive?”

Kaizuka pushes him forward. Slaine moves his legs automatically; the earth under his feet is paved with blood and grey ash. He breathes in, coughs and wants to vomit. He can’t recall what has happened and why they are wandering in the middle of nowhere. The highway ahead is empty; the thin layer of strange ash isn’t disturbed by the car wheels, but Slaine can see the rare footprints.

“Is she alive?”

Kaizuka is silent; the smell of his light cologne Slaine could feel when they were standing in the crowd is gone. His blue uniform coat is covered in dirt; the dried trail of blood sticks to his left cheek. For some reason he keeps the eye with the analytical engine closed. Slaine takes a breath; the world around them reeks of a terrible mixture of scents, dung and urine the most discernible out of all.

“Tell me, is she alive?”

Anger is swirling on his lips, in his chest, and Slaine puts all of his weight into his legs trying to make Kaizuka turn and look at him. Kaizuka stumbles, stops - wearily, reluctantly. He seems tired, yet the expression on his face as usual stays clear of any emotions. He looks up at Slaine, and the look of his lone red eye suddenly feels heavy.

“We have to move, Troyard,” is all that he says. He makes a step forward, and Slaine watches Kaizuka’s fingers pull at his shirt in a wordless command to follow him. Something dark and primal comes alive inside him then; he screams.

“Tell me she is alive!” the scream leaves his mouth, yet before he can act, before he lets himself dive into the swarm of rage and fury, Kaizuka suddenly grips his hands behind his back in a painful way, and a second later Slaine finds himself cheek pressed into the grey ash, a strong body pushing him into the stinking ground.

“She is… We should get out of here before night, Troyard.” Kaizuka pants; his grip stays like a dead lock no matter how hard Slaine tries to free himself. He twists his body like a snake caught into the sharp wires, arches his back, fidgets and wiggles his legs until he has no strength left. Endless minutes pass; finally Kaizuka lets him go, stands up and wipes his palms over his own bloodied clothing. The will to struggle has long left Slaine by that point. “Do you hear me? I have zero understanding of what is going on.”

“Tell me she is alive,” Slaine croaks as he shakily gets up too and faces Kaizuka, his hands going up to caress Kaizuka’s arms pleadingly, a small whiny smile finding its way on his lips.

“We have to go,” Kaizuka whispers, almost apologetically, and turns away.

High in the sky the black sun, enclosed by the rich ocean of crimson, slowly descends behind the horizon.

***

In those short moments he wakes up he feels unbearably hot. His body is weak and wet from sweating; he shakes uncontrollably. There are hands pressing the blissfully cold towel onto his body and Slaine can’t help leaning into the touch. He doesn’t remember the last time someone touched him so gently, but he stops the train of thoughts at this point and goes no further. He feels it’s too dangerous - to remember anything now. So he lets the unfamiliar hands touch him and buries himself deeper into the sheets.

He doesn’t know how much time passes. Sometimes it feels like days, sometimes like months. Eventually he is tired of lying and pretending to be not there. He opens his eyes and looks at the ceiling. It’s unremarkably white. The room he is in is small; there is only the bed and the small table in the corner. The clock on the table shows midday. The curtains on the only window are closed, so Slaine sits up and moves them away. The sky is still abnormally red.

The memories come rushing back and Slaine throws the blanket away and presses his palm against his mouth; all the fear and pain and panic return full force. He tries to get up but gets tangled up in the smelly sheets and his own weak legs and falls down on the floor, hard. His shoulder flares in pain, but at least the surge of panic is gone. Slaine hears the approaching footsteps. Thankfully, it’s only Kaizuka. Kaizuka dressed in an open black shirt and jeans rolled up to his knees, hair tangled and unkempt, the left eye closed by a hand-made patch.

The image is so unusual that Slaine almost snorts but then he remembers again where he is and why he is here and that he is lying, gloriously naked, on the floor, beneath Kaizuka’s feet. Before he tries to move, however, Kaizuka leans to help him and gets him back on the bed. Slaine feels too weak to be embarrassed; he allows Kaizuka to sit him up but resists the gentle push to lie back. The bed stinks; Slaine stinks; the haunting memories threaten to make him vomit any moment. He wants to shower, but showering can wait.

Slaine puts his hand against Kaizuka’s bare chest, and Kaizuka retreats to bring a stool to sit on while Slaine weakly covers himself with the blanket. It seems like neither of them want to start the conversation, although it’s useless to delay the inevitable. Slaine watches the bit of the scarlet sky that can be seen through the window. The world behind the glass is too silent.

“Is she…?”

“Yes. She is dead. We both witnessed it. I’m sorry, Troyard.” There’s an odd tone of self-resentment in Kaizuka’s voice when he says the words as if the Empress’ life was his responsibility. Slaine thinks he’ll get angry, but nothing inside him stirs aside from the feeling of emptiness. He looks at his hands and at his chest where the bright scarring stands out. So, in the end, none of his deeds and wrongs matter. Being there for her and not being there for her - everything was meaningless. The future had its own ugly plans.

“What… What happened back there?” he asks quietly after a pause. There is always an option to take revenge, but the thought of Saazbaum, killed by his own hands, is a good reminder that revenge changes nothing. Asseylum is gone, dead; she will never smile and be happy. He won’t also. But he isn’t going to repeat his mistakes and fall to despair. Not yet. Not until he finds out the reason.

For a long time Kaizuka looks very reluctant to answer, then at last he blinks and tells him, “I don’t know.”

“What? Explain.” It is perhaps the first time Slaine sees his former enemy so unnerved. Kaizuka almost frowns while trying to scrap up the answer that would satisfy Slaine’s need of knowledge.

“Three days have passed since we’ve reached this village. The sky stays of the same anomalously red color. The sun rises and descends when it should, but it looks black. The nature around is wilting. The connections don’t work. There is no electricity, the cars and batteries aren’t working also, neither does my analytical engine. A lot of people were dead along the highway we followed, but you probably don’t remember that. You had a concussion and a fever. Most of the way you walked half-conscious, then I carried you here. The house was empty, but I found some packaged water and food so I decided to stay here for the time being.” In proof of his words Kaizuka pulls out his UFE phone and shows the black screen to Slaine. Slaine knows the device is military made; it could never break by falling or cease to work without charging in merely three days. The chill runs down his spine.

“No news? No military sightings? No radio? What about the public address system?” Slaine tries to think of what would police and military do in such situation.

“Nothing. No helicopters, kataphracts or planes or landing castles as well,” Kaizuka adds and stands up to walk to the window. “In three days I’ve seen only a couple of people pass the village. They looked stressed, searched some houses for food and then left. Thankfully, the house we are in is a bit away from the road. That’s why I chose it.”

Slaine watches Kaizuka’s tense back. He is looking outside, pose deceptively relaxed, but in truth Slaine can see the man is worried sick. He vaguely remembers Kaizuka’s stories about his sister. So, instead of rushing to find his relative, Kaizuka had stayed to care for him. Slaine moves his eyes away, back onto his own hands. “You mean, from now on it’s dangerous to contact with other survivors?”

“If the situation doesn’t change soon and there is no power to organize the panicking people then yes. I expect the fighting for food and resources to start soon,” Kaizuka closes the curtains and turns to Slaine once again. “The water system doesn’t work, but there is some water in the barrels in the garden. It’s not very cold so you can wash yourself if you want. I’ll help.”

Slaine nods. It is infinitely better then lying down and staring at the ceiling with thoughts of the Empress. Kaizuka helps him to stand up and reach the bathroom; Slaine is very dizzy so he has to rely fully on him. The close contact between them is unfamiliar, but Slaine can’t deny that the man is trustworthy. He tries to drive away the thought of Kaizuka tending to his body while he was unconscious. Because, really, three days… he had probably wet himself, if not more.

Kaizuka’s hands are gentle as they scrub his back while Slaine sits on a low chair inside the bathroom stall. The water feels cold but he grits his teeth and doesn’t say a word. It’s not like he has a choice - asking to boil the water probably requires making fire which can attract undesirable attention. Slaine looks at his own reflection in the bucket Kaizuka brings from the garden. Was he always that thin and pale? “What’s the plan?” he asks, more to distract himself. The reality still feels like a nightmare.

Kaizuka lowers the sponge inside the bucket and slowly moves it along Slaine’s right arm. “I was thinking to get you back on your feet. Then we can try to reach the city and check the situation there,” Kaizuka pauses, then starts carefully washing his shoulder. The pain from the fall comes back, but Slaine finds it strangely pleasant. “I assume it’ll be dangerous though. The cars are not working so we’ll have to go by foot, open for any strike - from people or the unknown. I’d prefer if we had weapons but I don’t think we can find any if we roam the village.”

“Do we have enough food?” Slaine wonders. Bathing seems to tire him; he feels his eyes dropping, but then Kaizuka starts washing his hair with the shampoo he finds on the shelf, and Slaine is forced to spit out the water and foam every time Kaizuka empties a dipper over his head. Either the man wants to torture him or he has never washed anyone’s hair in his life.

“Yes. No troubles with food for now. We can even take some with us.” Kaizuka disappears for a second only to return with a towel. By this point Slaine starts shivering, so he accepts the large fluffy towel gratefully. Kaizuka leads him back to the room, and Slaine sees the bed sheets are already changed. The room is also aired nicely, and Slaine lets himself lie down and relax, as much as he can relax in an unknown house, with Kaizuka as a company and Asseylum… gone.

Suddenly there is a noise outside, an angry roar only a wild animal can make. It quickly turns into a shriek and then into desperate whining until the sound completely dies down. Kaizuka is instantly alert, he motions for Slaine to stay still and steps soundlessly towards the exit of the room. “If I don’t return soon,” he whispers before going out, “Consider you’re on your own. And… stay safe.”

Slaine counts the minutes. He should be used to being alone, with so many years spent in jail, but his heart is beating wildly against his ribcage. He reaches the window despite the dizziness, but can’t see anything aside from the rows of the silent houses standing a bit away, probably, closer to the road Kaizuka had mentioned before. The crimson sky glows, a couple of purely white clouds crawl away from the circle of the black sun. It is the first time Slaine can see the sun clearly, and he feels his throat go dry. The scenery looks like a bloody eclipse, something that could only be found in books or films before.

Slowly, he goes back to bed; his legs are too weak to hold him for long. He needs food and water, though eating and drinking aren’t his main concerns right now - what he needs is to keep his thoughts busy. Minutes are tickling away like mad, and Kaizuka still doesn’t return. Slaine tries to remember the distance the sounds came from; they weren’t entirely close, so perhaps it’s too early to panic. The mere thought of not seeing Kaziuka anymore suddenly terrifies him. Because in all the years after the war Kaizuka was the only one who was always there. Like a shadow first, a painful remembrance of the past, then a guardian and a caretaker - the fact that Slaine couldn’t deny no matter how hard he tried - and in the last two years more like an anchor.

“Even so, you have to live,” Kaizuka had told him once, long ago, and the words still echo in his head. There were days, weeks, months, when he forced himself to get up from the bunk only to meet Kaizuka. There was no reason for him to go on, yet “Even so, will you keep looking for it?” pushed him to keep to his stubbornness. Kaizuka became a constant, a necessity, an anchor, something that was always present and important like air or food. Losing him at this point… would mean the very end.

At last Slaine hears the door downstairs closing and holds his breath, but the steps are definitely Kaizuka’s, he’d never confuse it with anyone else’s after five years of constant meetings. Slaine rubs his face, feeling the tension slowly leaving his body. It is back full force though when Kaizuka enters the room, abruptly leans against the wall and slides down it as if all the strength in his legs is suddenly gone. He is deathly pale, and there is sweat on his forehead. He raises one hand, tugs at his tousled hair and stills - a pose of utter desperation Slaine could never guess he’d see one day performed perfectly by Kaizuka Inaho.

“What is there?” Slaine asks, although deep inside he knows he doesn’t want to hear the answer.

“I’ve found the villagers’ bodies,” Kaizuka says and brings up his other hand to cover his head. “A pyramid made of them.”

Slaine doesn’t open his mouth anymore. He trusts Kaizuka enough to understand that if the man used the word ‘pyramid’ then that was exactly what he had seen. A pyramid of dead bodies.

“We should head to the city.” Kaizuka makes several breaths, then straightens up. “I’ll bring you some food. We’ll rest today and try to leave this place tomorrow if you feel better. I… have seen the bodies but I haven’t noticed any animals around.”

Slaine nods; a heavy feeling settles in his stomach. He meets Kaizuka’s gaze, “I’ll be ready.”

***

The night is long and scary; the sky color turns into black, a chaotic cluster of red stars shines angrily from its depth. There is no moon. Slaine tries to look for the constellations he remembers but finds it futile - the net of stars has a completely foreign pattern.

“It looks like we’ve been transported to another galaxy or something,” he mutters holding a fork and forcing himself to eat the canned fish. At least the tomato sauce is nice.

“If my analytical engine was in a working state I could estimate the likelihood of your assumption,” Kaizuka says while rummaging the wardrobe in the living room for clothes. “However, I very much doubt it. The sun continues to move in the usual way which means the Earth is on its usual trajectory. If I had to make a guess at what’s happening my first hypothesis is that the part of the planet or the whole planet was wrapped up in some kind of an unknown field or barrier. It left us without electricity and caused or continues to cause the phenomena we do not understand yet. The sky and the sun color may just be an optical illusion, the star map as well. Perhaps, those are not stars even.”

Slaine shrugs, feeling too tired to care, and finishes his supper. He feels better, washed and dressed in the fresh clothes. The blue shirt and jeans are bigger than his size, but at least they don’t fall down his hips and shoulders. Kaizuka tries to gather the necessary things in two backpacks: mostly clothes, food and whatever medicine he finds in the house. At one point Slaine sees him in the kitchen where Kaizuka looks over the knives on the wall. Some of them are for cooking but others indicate that the owner of the house must have liked hunting. The image is disturbing and makes Slaine shiver, though he understands they need the means to protect themselves, so he says nothing when Kaizuka takes the two hunting knives off the wall and checks their sheath holsters.

The sleep that night is short. The silence is eerie; Slaine wonders whether all the birds had died too. His dreams are restless, but he is woken up in the dead of the night not by a nightmare, but by the piercing screeching. He feels like someone has thrown a bucket of ice cold water over him. The sounds frighten him up to the point he cannot move. The noise is close, so close it feels like it sounds right near the front door and it makes the window shake loudly. Slaine doesn’t even notice how Kaizuka crawls inside his room with the knife taken out, so when the man touches his knee he almost screams.

He is immediately glad however he is not alone. Kaizuka moves closer, pushes him wordlessly, towards the corner of the room where it’s better to observe both the window and the door. Slaine takes the blanket with him. It won’t help if they will be attacked but at least it’ll be warmer. Guessing about future at the moment is useless. Slaine covers himself and Kaizuka’s shoulders while they stay crouched near the bare wall in a defensive pose. The screeching goes on and on and on, and Slaine concentrates on listening to Kaizuka’s breathing. He doesn’t have a knife so he stays behind Kaizuka and at some point he is so tired from the terrible screaming he leans his head and hands and torso against Kaizuka’s back.

“It’ll be alright,” Kaizuka mouths, turning his head to him, and Slaine feels how tears are suddenly burning his eyelids. Nothing is ever going to be alright, he knows, but can’t help thinking he is so grateful to Kaizuka for staying so strong whereas he isn’t able to. It is not that Slaine is scared of death. Death is something he can relate to, having wanted it for so long and being constantly denied of the wish. It is more of a “What did I live for?” that is suddenly crushing him under its weight. Asseylum is dead, he couldn’t save her, he couldn’t bring peace to the world, he couldn’t save people who were precious to him, he also couldn’t find any reason for his living. Are all people’s deaths so pitiful, so unjust and so lonely? What lies there, behind the line of no return?

Funny, how on the verge of dying he suddenly doesn’t want to die. His hands clench tightly the shirt on Kaizuka’s back, and he breathes in the man’s scent. Slaine is sure he had never smelled Kaizuka before, only his cologne, but the scent is somehow familiar, earthly, and it calms him down. He doesn’t realize that the screeching has stopped. Nothing seems to attack them or the house; the eerie silence dominates the world again. Kaizuka doesn’t move for the next twenty minutes, and Slaine keeps pressing his forehead between his shoulder blades. 

“Let’s lie down,” Kaizuka says finally and advances towards the bed indicating Slaine should climb in first. “You have to rest a bit more. The sunrise is still a while away. I’ll keep watch.”

And he does, for which Slaine is grateful again, because somehow, with Kaizuka by his side, he manages to get more sleep. It is, perhaps, he dreams that someone is caressing his hair, the touch so light and gentle he never wants it to end. He almost voices Asseylum’s name, almost, but something stops him. And he simply breathes out, warm and content, a pleasant scent as a constant presence at the back of his mind.

***

Slaine is far from ready to go out but there is no choice. Kaizuka gives him one of the backpacks; it seems much lighter than the one Kaizuka takes for himself. Slaine doesn’t protest; he still feels a bit wobbly on his feet but he would rather faint during travelling than stay for one more night in this godforsaken village. He is not sure he’ll be able to remain cool-headed if the night occurrence repeats itself.

It must be still early because the sky hasn’t regained its deep red color yet. Kaizuka dives under the maroon sunrise first to make sure no danger is lurking near the house. When Slaine wants to follow him, Kaizuka wordlessly stops him for a moment and Slaine blinks as he feels Kaizuka’s hands messing with his belt. Slaine touches tentatively the holster with one of the knives he had seen Kaizuka examine earlier.

“You’re sure I’m not going to stab your back?” Slaine can’t help but ask. Although he and Kaizuka have been on the good terms during the last years of his imprisonment, he is supposed to be a convict, and giving a convict any kind of weapon makes Slaine doubt if Kaizuka is in the right mind.

“I trust you more than I’d trust anyone at this point.” Kaizuka goes past the wilted bushes that grow near the house and carefully glances to the sides, then motions for Slaine to hurry. Before Slaine snorts, however, he adds, “And you’re a decent person.”

“Am I?” Slaine is so surprised he forgets to pay attention to his surroundings and steps on a dried twig. It breaks with a loud creak and crumbles to white ash under his feet. Both he and Kaizuka freeze, listening warily to the silence, but, thankfully, nothing happens.

“Yes, you are. Mind your step though.” There is poorly hidden tension now in Kaizuka’s voice, and Slaine decides to leave the talk for a later time. The thought of Kaizuka, of all people, trusting him and thinking good of him is strange, and Slaine is not sure how he feels about it, but it leaves him with something he is not really comfortable with. It is a painful mixture of feelings: the disbelief that someone is able to trust him at all, the longing to have someone by his side, the fear of betraying that someone again, the realization and guilt of still having any kind of feelings after Asseylum’s death.

Slaine forces himself to take a breath and stops thinking as they reach the asphalted road that runs far ahead. The road is covered with a fresh layer of ash but old footprints are visible under it. Kaizuka crouches to study them while Slaine looks at the dying trees that grow at the side of the road. The leaves that are supposed to be green are almost rotten and half-covered by the strange thin threads, resembling a bit a spider’s net, only in red color. Slaine touches hesitantly one of the leaves; upon his touch it quickly turns into the white ash, forcing him to shake it off his hand.

“The footprints lead to the city. We should hurry and cover as much distance as we can before the night. I don’t have enough proof but I suspect being outside during the night is dangerous,” Kaizuka says quietly. “And I’m not sure there are any other villages or buildings on the way. The city is not a metropolitan area; it’s more a part of an industrial infrastructure hence why it was chosen by the UFE to be supplied with Aldnoah power. We have about one hundred kilometers to cover.”

“Where is the… pyramid?” Slaine asks, his throat dry. Kaizuka doesn’t look at him when he answers.

“You’re better off not seeing it.”

Slaine decides not to argue despite the desire to find out what the hell is going on. Every bit of information and evidence can become useful, but he thinks he may witness more along the way so he follows Kaizuka. They set a fast pace. From time to time Kaizuka pauses and tells Slaine to drink water, and Slaine obeys. Kaizuka is the one managing his diet in the prison and Slaine knows he can trust his knowledge.

The world around is surreal, dying, fading. All the trees of the forest that stretches along the road stand dead, bowed to the ground, half-turned into dust already. There are no animals, no birds, no other people; the creepy silence is not disturbed by anything. Slaine looks at how his feet scatter the white covering, step after step. The day merges into walking and pausing, walking and pausing, until Slaine starts panting; his knees are ready to give way.

“Just a bit more,” Kaizuka tries to encourage him. “In two or three miles the forest should end and we’ll see the fields. The analytical engine had supplied me with a map of the terrain when we were flying here and I remember it a bit.”

Slaine pushes himself on, and the moment they finally reach the hill that coincidentally indicates the forest’s end, his strength runs out. He has no choice but to grab Kaizuka’s shoulder; he doesn’t want to fall on the dirty ground. He still distinctly remembers it stinking when Kaizuka was leading him away from the ceremony location. The earth doesn’t stink now, but that doesn’t mean Slaine wants to take a sniff of it.

It is, perhaps, good that he is so tired, because the shock of what he sees next isn’t as shocking as it could have been. Panting, Slaine raises his head to look over the hills, to see the distant city, but what he sees is so terrible that he doesn’t notice how he huddles against Kaizuka’s back, his hands clinging tightly to Kaizuka’s arms as if wanting to bind him to the very place they are standing at and to never let him go.

Beneath the hill and far to the horizon stretch the fields of rich red grass. Standing among it, hundreds of triangular pyramids, made out of human’s bodies, form a strange labyrinth of death. The pyramids are perfectly framed, as if someone had purposely cut people’s hands, legs, torsos and heads to suit the triangular shape. The wind caresses softly the deep ocean of grass that embraces the pyramids.

“The city is burning,” Kaizuka says after a long silence, and Slaine looks at the horizon more closely, finally noticing the heavy columns of smoke rising into the sky. “It probably should with electricity off and people in panic after losing their families and friends. We may encounter more danger than I’ve estimated, but I don’t think turning back is wise now.”

“You want us to go through… through that?” Slaine waves in the direction of the pyramids, and suddenly feels Kaizuka taking his hand in his, entwining their fingers. Slaine is so stunned he cannot say anything. Kaizuka’s hand is warm, and he can feel how his fingers tremble. It doesn’t look like Kaizuka is scared though. Tired - yes, worried for his sister - definitely. Slaine abruptly realizes that she may be a part of one of those pyramids by now, and he doesn’t find it in himself to yank his hand back. Also, somehow, holding hands with Kaizuka makes him calm down.

“The nightfall is soon. See there?” Kaizuka gestures with his free hand towards a building along the road a couple of kilometers away. Slaine squints to examine a low one-floored facility - it looks like a motel with a gas station and a shop as an addition. “Staying in the forest is too risky. At least we’ll have cover there.”

Slaine doubts they can have cover near the pyramids _of dead bodies_ , for God’s sake, but he doesn’t have any other suggestions either. Here, at the edge of the forest, the wind ruffles the sickly trees, and the silence is filled with unpleasant sounds of creaking and rustling, making it seem like some horrid creature may jump out of the forest to attack them any minute. “Fine,” Slaine mutters finally, too exhausted to argue further.

Kaizuka doesn’t let go of his hand as they descend down the hill and follow the road towards their goal. Some of the pyramids stand too close to the road, and Slaine can’t help but look at them: at the cringed faces, at the pieces of torn clothes, at the naked body parts, bloodied, bitten and deformed. It doesn’t seem like the pyramids have walls of any kind; the corpses are just pressed together by an unknown force, and the pyramids rise up to three and four meters. They don’t reek of decay however. The air is sterile, clear of any scents.

As they approach the building Kaizuka lowers his pace - beneath their feet the road is stained with dried blood. Pieces of trash lie scattered around the gas station: empty plastic bottles, torn newspapers, food wrappings and dirty garments. Slaine involuntary squeezes Kaizuka’s hand when he sees a tiny shoe lying near the entrance to the small shop that adjoins the gas station. The windows of the shop are shattered, and Kaizuka pulls Slaine past it, towards the menacing silhouette of the motel.

The sun is ready to set when they find the main entrance. The sky darkens quickly, red turning into black, and Kaizuka hurries inside, fishes out a lighter out of the backpack. Slaine feels a chill running down his spine when he is forced to uncouple their hands, but follows Kaizuka down the long and messy hallway, past the administrator’s desk. It’s hard to see the details in the scarce light, but what he sees is enough to understand that a fight had taken place there. Chairs are overturned; things rest broken on the floor; blood stains are on the walls and even ceiling.

Some doors of the rooms are opened, and Kaizuka makes sure to stop and listen whether anything threatening is hiding in the dark spaces. Slowly and steadily he checks every room, and Slaine almost gets sick after seeing bloodied and ripped sheets. In the dead silence of the motel only his and Kaizuka’s steps can be heard. Slaine listens to his own breathing and tries to calm his madly beating heart. Finally, they stop near the closed room, and after a pause Kaizuka grips the door handle and carefully opens the door.

The room is clean and apparently hasn’t been used by anyone for a time. Kaizuka touches Slaine’s shoulder, and Slaine enters, lets his backpack drop soundlessly to the floor. As he notices the made bed tiredness hits him full force, and Kaizuka is quick to grip his arm and help him reach the bed. They do not speak as Slaine lies down, and Slaine doesn’t protest when Kaizuka puts off his sneakers for him. Honestly, it’s not the best course of action in case they’ll have to fight or run during the night, but his legs hurt as hell, and Kaizuka seems to realize that.

Slaine falls asleep easily, hearing Kaizuka go around the room closing curtains, barricading the door with chairs and checking the toilet cabin; he is too exhausted to stay aware. His dreams are short and unpleasant; the pain in his legs intensifies, making him writhe, but Kaizuka’s hands prevent him from moving much. He bites down the moan and surrenders to a new round of nightmares. 

_“There is no escape from us!”_ Asseylum hisses, her head dangling from her left shoulder, connected with her neck only by the glowing red branches. Out of her belly the deadly tree grows fast, burying its roots deeper and deeper into the wailing ground. _“We are the legacy, but we are misused. We have woken to bring the end! The world is no more!”_

Slaine watches, transfixed, as thin branches pierce through Asseylum’s neck and slowly lift her head back to its place, at the same time a swarm of branches filling her mouth, nostrils and eyes, tearing the tender skin. He steps back, terrified, tears running down his face, ready to scream, but unable to. The world around him is buzzing louder and louder, and Slaine fights to resist, to suppress the bottomless fear, to catch the escaping realization, but everything is futile until…

“Troyard.”

The voice slaps him with the force of an iron whip, and he wakes up, gulping for air. The room is drowning in darkness, in the same abnormal stillness, and Kaizuka is by his side. Slaine puts his arm over his face. Although it’s still dark he doesn’t feel rested at all. The pain in his legs is so sharp he winces and leans to touch his feet. Kaizuka stops him with an uttered “Let me.” Slaine blinks in confusion.

The blanket rustles as Kaizuka changes his position on the bed, and Slaine gasps when his warm hands roll up his jeans and touch the bare skin under his left knee. Kaizuka starts the massage slow but thorough, making sure to pay attention to every bit of Slaine’s legs that needs soothing. As he finishes with one leg he starts on the other, and Slaine feels how the pain is gradually ebbing away. He bites his lips and forces himself to lie still, to ignore the pleasant shivers the massage causes. It’s been a long time since someone touched him in a way like this - perhaps, his father was the last one to treat him with the same care and attention.

He doesn’t notice when he falls asleep again, this time without the nightmares. Through the fog of his dreams he can feel how Kaizuka puts back socks on his feet and covers him with a blanket. Next time Slaine opens his eyes it’s already morning, and Kaizuka rummages in his backpack for a small breakfast. Slaine rolls off the bed to stand up; his legs still hurt but not as much as in the evening.

They spend little time on dressing up. Slaine uses the toilet and regrets not letting Kaizuka go in first as there is no water in the tank. Thankfully, there is no time for stupid thoughts, and quite soon they both leave the motel, closely watching their surroundings. The field looks the same as yesterday but Kaizuka pauses, and Slaine checks the direction he is staring at. A pyramid stands close to the road. With a growing sense of worry Slaine understands what Kaizuka voices in a whisper.

“It… wasn’t here yesterday.”

“Was there any noise at night?” Slaine asks turning away to watch the surreal ocean of grass bend under the wind’s onset. The sight is much better than the deformed bodies stuck together by the invisible glue.

“No,” Kaizuka states, then moves forward. “Let’s hurry. I doubt we can cover the distance we managed yesterday. We’ll have to find shelter again.”

Half a day later Slaine is forced to acknowledge Kaizuka’s rightness. His legs start hurting again, and they are forced to take a lot of breaks. Water bottles are being emptied fast, no matter how much Slaine understands the value of water. Yet, his body doesn’t cooperate. Kaizuka, too, seems tired. He had probably slept little in the past two days.

The field seems endless, but as they slowly get closer to the city the amount of pyramids increases. Slaine can’t help feeling like someone is watching them, and judging by Kaizuka’s alert look he feels it too. They find another gas station along the road, this one without any shops or motels and, finally, Kaizuka declares they should stop. The sky begins to darken.

Slaine shivers looking around for a safe place but finds none. Kaizuka thoroughly examines their surroundings and stirs him towards a lone passenger car left at the parking spot. The owners, or their bodies, are nowhere to be seen. Slaine expects the alarm to go off but when Kaizuka tries the door it opens without any resistance. The keys are left inside the starter; the interior is neat and looks untouched. A key chain in the form of little bats stuck together by their wings is dangling in the center of the glass screen; Kaizuka pauses when his glance lands on it.

“I see no other option. Let’s spend the night here. We can lower the seats and try to sleep.” True to his words and fast to act, Kaizuka shoves his backpack inside the car and starts working on their supposed sleeping places. Slaine turns to look at the immense field, the sound of rustling getting louder because of the rising wind. Ash and dust swirl at his feet; for a second an orb of light flashes on the distant horizon, back where they came from. Slaine is almost sure something ominous is going to happen.

“Did you see that?” Slaine whispers when Kaizuka takes his backpack to put it inside the car.

“Yes, in the side window. Looked like a large kugelblitz,” Kaizuka answers ushering Slaine inside to lie down on the seat.

“Kugel-what?” Slaine huffs and tries to settle more comfortably. The space is narrow; he is not able to stretch his legs fully, but it’s better than nothing. The pain in his legs is a constant reminder of the hell they are in. “Can you speak in words an ordinary human can understand?”

“You are not an ordinary human, Slaine Troyard,” Kaizuka says and gets inside the car too, turning to close the doors with safety locks, but then mercifully adds, “Ball lightning.”

“You think… a storm is coming?” Slaine wonders munching on a chocolate he snatches from Kaizuka’s backpack. He doesn’t really have an appetite but understands he needs energy for tomorrow. If he doesn’t fall dead on the way they will probably reach the city in the evening.

“To be honest,” Kaizuka suddenly confesses after leaning back on the seat and drinking water from a plastic bottle, “I’m extremely tired of thinking.”

Slaine watches as Kaizuka rubs his temples then uses his jacket to cover himself. The air is by no means cold, but Slaine guesses the additional warmth won’t hurt. He vaguely remembers that as a child he always imagined his blanket to be a shield, capable of warding off all the unknown dangers. The comfort it brought during those times had been immense. Slaine closes his eyes, sick of looking at the glinting red stars, and tries to swallow the sadness he suddenly feels over a simple memory. Oh, how nice it would be to go back in time and live his life differently, but he knows miracles aren’t something bestowed on the likes of him.

Kaizuka is asleep fast, undisturbed by the noises the rising wind carries. Slaine, on the contrary, listens to every sound: to the hissing rustling, to the angry swishes, to the distant howls. The thought that he and Kaizuka may be the only ones left in the world is surreal and terrifying. In a way he had already resolved himself to survive. After all he had always been a survivor; he can live with just his memories, with just his grief. But can he go on if the world is no more? Even though he’d left for Mars as a child, Earth had always stayed in his mind as an invisible support. It was enough to remember the solid weight beneath his feet, the gentle wind on his face, a mouthful of cold water to wake him up, rich food to give him energy, and he’d instantly feel - there is a place he can go back to.

But now, with Asseylum dead and the world thrown into chaos, there is nothing: no place to go lick his wounds, no person to devote himself to. Well, except Kaizuka. Slaine snorts inwardly: he’d thought his troubles ended after he was sent to jail, but seems like there is no end to troubles. Slowly, he wills himself to sleep. Kaizuka is right again: thinking only makes him feel more tired.

Something brushes his side of the car, then again and again after a pause. Slaine instantly senses it as he wakes up in the total darkness. The stars are not glinting, the wind isn’t howling, everything is silent aside from the strange rustling coming in short sounds from all the directions. Slaine doesn’t move in fear of making noise. Something is passing their car, very close, so close he is finally able to hear the light steps. As if a large dog is sniffing around their unsafe shelter, playing with something it drags on the ground. But Slaine knows it’s not a dog; a dog would bark or breathe loudly as it plays. But this creature, or creatures, is not breathing - the air is still.

Kaizuka reaches for him in the darkness, touches his wrist and goes lower, his fingertips caressing Slaine’s palm, searching to entwine their fingers, and Slaine allows it, a feeling of self-hatred burning strong as he realizes his own hand is trembling. For God’s sake, he can deal with wars, betrayals, sacrifices and killing. Why can’t he deal with a little bit of abnormal occurrences? Has he really become so weak while he was hidden behind the safe walls of his prison?

They lie together with Kaizuka, holding hands, trying to breathe quieter, trying to blend with the silence, waiting for God-knows-what. And then it happens. The sky over the field suddenly fills with red, a large glowing bulb pulsating deep within the black clouds. It gets bigger and bigger and then it births a dazzling curved lightning that shots down to the earth. The ground shakes; instead of thunder a high-pitched sound rolls over the space making Slaine grit his teeth.

The lightning keeps connecting the sky and earth together, and Slaine carefully moves closer to the side window to throw a glance outside while the field is illuminated by the scarlet light. He regrets it immediately, the sight so sickening he wishes it was only a nightmare. Kaizuka moves behind him, pulls him back insistently, forces him to lie down while Slaine learns again how to breathe.

“Don’t look,” Kaizuka’s whisper is hollow, but his hands are steady when he covers both their heads with his jacket and rests his forehead against Slaine’s nape. Slaine feels strong arms coming around him, Kaizuka’s weight, half-pressing him into the seat, Kaizuka’s earthly scent mixed with a trace of sweat, and inside he feels like he is breaking from the childish gesture Kaizuka has just done. Hiding them both under the thin jacket; leaving them no chances to see the attack if one comes, and all because of clear understanding - there is no way for them to fight back. They are the only prey here, the ones hunted. If the horrible creatures notice them, they’ll be dead in the blink of an eye.

His heart beats madly, accompanying the deathly parade outside. Slaine squints with fear, the abominable picture still bright under his eyelids. Creatures, hordes of them, molded from the human bodies, with no particular shape - legs serving as hands, heads serving as legs, broken skulls, bones sticking out - slowly shuffling towards the place where the lightning still blazes. Slaine chokes on his own breathing and wants to cry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who wants a shitty continuation? No one? Guessed so! But I still brought it. I gathered since I'd need more time to finish this I may as well do 3 parts here instead of 2 and update. As usual, don't search for any literature value in here, I'm just writing this bc I want to (probably). Descriptions be damned; english grammar idr completely (did i even study it those 15+ years ago? dunno); vocabulary vs me: 1:0.

When Slaine thinks the sunrise is an hour or so away, it rains blood. The creatures are long gone; the sky is black again. Kaizuka is not holding him anymore and Slaine isn’t surprised to hear him open the door as soon as the first raindrops assault the car roof. The stench of blood is sickening; the door is shut back fast, and Kaizuka uses a lighter to look at his own fingers, then wipes them off with a tissue.

Slaine asks, tiredly, “What next?” He doesn’t want to ponder on where had all the blood come from to rain down from the sky.

“Let’s get to the city. Then we’ll see,” Kaizuka sounds just as tired. He shuffles on the seat to a more comfortable position and doesn’t move until the sun goes up.

The rain ceases as the sunrise approaches, and when the sky turns crimson, everything is completely still. The road is strangely dry as is the field - there are no signs of blood or any other liquids. The mystery is solved fast enough though - Slaine notices a sudden movement to his right and watches how the tuft of the red grass on the side of the road is leaning greedily towards the asphalt, groveling over the little puddle of blood in-between the cracks. When the puddle is gone, sucked inside, the stems of grass straighten back. The field seems more restless than yesterday, and Kaizuka urges him to start walking which Slaine gladly does.

Despite the tiredness they manage to reach the city’s outskirts before the nightfall. The abandoned construction sites huddle close to each other all around them; uncompleted buildings rise up in the air without proper walls; concrete beams are piled everywhere, forming deep and intimidating shadows. Broken or simply deserted cars are left right there on the road, and very soon Slaine gets tired from having to bypass them every time. The farther they go the more cars and scattered trash they find, and thirty minutes later Kaizuka abruptly stops to lean his hands on his knees. He pants heavily, looking very pale as he gets the water bottle from his backpack. Slaine suddenly remembers that Kaizuka’s been very reluctant to drink water during the day and now he understands why. The water bottle is almost empty. It’s probably his last.

“Let’s find a shelter. We both are in no state to go further today,” Slaine suggests, checking his own backpack to see how much food and water is left. Thankfully he still has one more bottle to spare, though he clearly remembers they both had equal number of bottles when they had started on their journey. Had Kaizuka stuffed the bottle to his backpack during the night? Slaine frowns but says nothing; instead he surveys their surroundings, hoping to see a small shop or some living quarters where they could try to search for supplies. But his search ends up useless - apparently, the city outskirts were intended to be a fully industrial area after completion; there are no shops or other buildings aside from the construction sites.

It is strange though that they still haven’t met any people on their way. Here and there Slaine can see the workers’ sheds; some of them are made from metal and look very reliable to withstand an attack from any kind of creature. Even if people had evacuated deeper into the city someone should have stayed to monitor the situation, perhaps, military or police representatives. Slaine cringes as he remembers the terror of the previous night. Well, perhaps not.

“There’s no grass,” Kaizuka points out suddenly after he finishes his water and reluctantly puts the empty bottle on the side of the road. The look in his eyes obviously tells that he doesn’t approve the amount of accumulated trash lying everywhere. For a moment Slaine feels the smile on his own lips approaching, but it is gone immediately as his eyes catch a dirty child’s plush toy, left near the abandoned car.

“So?” he asks, his throat feeling dry again.

“The rain during the night - it should have left puddles here. Even if they’ve dried out before our arrival there should be traces of blood left. But there’s none.”

Slaine ponders Kaizuka’s words for a minute, “So it either hasn’t rained here, meaning the rain of blood took place only over the field or further, or it rained water, and water had dried out during the day? But does it mean anything, Kaizuka? Should we just assume the field area is more dangerous?”

“No, we cannot assume anything,” Kaizuka shakes his head and starts walking again slowly, waiting for Slaine to catch up to him. “It’s just I’ve a strange… No, I should stay objective.”

Slaine follows Kaizuka silently, deciding not to voice his own questions. He too can imagine a hundred of dreadful things about the situation and why it is happening, but the real truth is unattainable, and instead of guessing the reasons they should concentrate on surviving first. They walk around carefully and unhurriedly. Slaine notices there is almost no ash on the road but that may be because there aren’t many wilted plants around. Finally Kaizuka leads him towards an open rectangular cabin near the entrance to one of the construction sites. Slaine judges it to be a security guard’s booth.

The booth is empty of people, but no doubt it was occupied before the world went to hell. Inside the small fridge, which of course isn’t working, they find a half full bottle of water and some rotten fruits. Kaizuka throws the fruits out while Slaine inspects the only cot inside and removes someone’s garments from the bedspread. Tiredness hits him full force as he sits down and puts off his sneakers; he’s not even worried that he’ll have to share the narrow cot with Kaizuka. As soon as his head hits the pillow under the bedspread he’s off to the world of dreams.

The nightfall is alive with shuffling noises again. Slaine stretches his hand to check if Kaizuka is near him, and his breath hitches when he realizes he’s lying on the cot alone. The complete darkness and the danger outside prevent him from using his voice or moving. Slaine desperately counts the seconds away. _One_ \- Kaizuka _should_ be inside! _Two_ \- he _didn’t_ go out to check the surroundings, did he? _Three_ \- if he did, is he… is he…? _Four_ \- how long until the fucking sunrise? _Five_ \- _please_ … _Six_ \- why didn’t I wait for him to lie down? Stupid, stupid, stupid… _Seven-_

A distant howl, not of an animal or wind, rings over the city outside, gaining capacity as it echoes off the concrete jungle. The shuffling noises stop, and when Slaine tries to gulp down the lump in his throat, suddenly there is a faint light, sipping through the closed curtains of the window, and he is able to see the inside of the booth - the sky must be lit with the red lightning again. Kaizuka is here, inside, sitting on the stool near the door, asleep. His head, with hair tousled like a raven nest, is bent low, chin resting over his own chest and folded arms. He must have tried to keep watch again, to keep them safe. Slaine breathes out and, somehow, he’s not afraid anymore.

Not caring about the danger, he gets up from the cot, reaches Kaizuka and slides his hands under the man’s armpits, urging him up. Kaizuka must be really tired because he wordlessly follows Slaine’s guidance, half-asleep, and lets Slaine lead him to the cot and then settles over it without any protesting. Slaine covers him with the bedspread and goes to take Kaizuka’s chair. The knife slips easily out of its holster, and Slaine prepares himself for a long night of keeping watch. This time he is going to be the one to assure their safety.

Slaine doesn’t consider himself unintelligent, but if there is a person who has abilities to figure out what has happened to the world it’s definitely not him but Kaizuka Inaho. And until Kaizuka manages it, Slaine decides, he will tag along. There will be time to decide his own fate afterwards - whether there is still a reason for him to live or none.

***

The morning meets them both with a heavy fog. Slaine can barely see the nearest construction site through the reddish veil. For a moment he is scared to breathe in, but logic tells him the oddness of the fog must be because of the sky color. At least he hopes so as he cautiously walks around the booth to relieve himself. The air is fresh, humid, yet Slaine can’t escape the feeling of wrongness. It sips into his core, nudges him to move, and he is very glad to be done with his needs. He hurries back inside where Kaizuka is still sleeping, stumbles along the way over a cardboard box and has to grab the corner of the booth for the balance. As he rights himself his eyes fall on the view behind the cabin, back from where he and Kaizuka came yesterday, and Slaine has to suppress a startled cry.

His insides burn with fear, but his head doesn’t yield to the panic. The years of war come alive somewhere deep inside him - the need to act fills his body with adrenaline and in a second Slaine jumps into the booth and shakes Kaizuka to get up. He doesn’t waste time explaining anything, just throws the water bottles into their backpacks, makes sure his knife is still stuck to his belt and snatches Kaizuka’s jacket as the man seems to be a bit slow on catching up.

“Run!” Slaine shouts as he directs the sleepy Kaizuka outside by pushing his shoulder. Thank God, Kaizuka seems to come to his senses the moment they both get on the street.

“Looks bad,” he comments, sounding too calm for someone whose life might be in danger. Slaine growls in anger and squeezes the idiot’s arm tighter, urging him to move. Finally, Kaizuka slings his backpack over his shoulder and starts running after Slaine, their steps echoing loudly in the eerie morning silence.

Slaine’s breath is hot on his lips. The clingy embrace of the fog adds to the sweat and slides down his back as if it wants to say that running is futile. The abandoned buildings flicker through the veil to his left and right, the road signs lie overturned; he and Kaizuka have to jump over the trash and sometimes to squeeze themselves between the cars. Still Slaine doesn’t look back. The picture behind would make anyone insane. The madly swirling masses of bloody fog, coming swiftly from the direction of the field, devour everything on their way. Silently, without any sounds, the world behind is being erased by the unknown, and Slaine doesn’t even want to consider what might happen to them if they get caught by the approaching force.

Minutes pass; Kaizuka’s heavy panting is the only thing that reassures Slaine everything is not yet lost. He knows he’ll need to stop soon as his lungs are screaming for air, and his legs aren’t better either. Just when he is ready to fall Kaizuka suddenly grabs his shirt and forces him to kneel, the movement so abrupt Slaine can’t suppress the hissing when his knees meet the ground. He wants to chastise Kaizuka but any words die on his lips as he raises his head and sees the muzzle of a shotgun aimed at his face.

“Don’t move!” the unfamiliar man barks the order and Slaine is happy to follow. He catches his breath and throws a cautious glance over his shoulder. The road behind is clear: the fog is serene, nothing is pursuing them anymore. Slaine relaxes and focuses back on the unknown man. So, there are other survivors, he thinks, relieved, as he looks the guy over - middle-aged, dressed in military garments, voice obviously used to issuing commands. A second later another man joins them, climbing from behind the concrete block and seeming very nervous.

“Where have you come from?” the younger man asks Slaine.

“The Aldhoah activation ceremony. We had to walk by foot,” Kaizuka is quick to answer instead of him, and Slaine hastily lowers his head, suddenly remembering he has no glasses or any other disguise. He tries to make it look like he’s tired from the running and lets Inaho carry on the conversation. Except that there is no more conversation. The minutes drag on, but the two men stay stubbornly silent. Slaine feels Kaizuka shuffling to a more comfortable position in case they would be attacked.

The man is quick to catch though; he must have a solid experience in fighting. “Don’t make any silly moves or I’ll shoot,” he snarls.

“Sir,” the younger man interrupts him suddenly. He sounds very unsure, but points his hand at Kaizuka. “I think he is… Look at his left eye, sir… Maybe that’s officer’s Kaizuka brother who she told us about…”

“Yuki?” Slaine shudders involuntary as the name falls from Kaizuka’s lips. For someone who always stays unemotional there is too much emotion in the tone of Kaizuka’s voice. Hope, suppressed fear, bewilderment, joy - all of it is united in a surprised half-whisper. The tension leaves Kaizuka’s shoulders and he adds then, in a more controlled voice, “Officer Kaizuka Yuki. She’s my sister.” 

The two men share a long glance, then the older one reluctantly moves the shotgun away. Kaizuka hurries to stand on his feet, and Slaine imitates him, still trying to look small and subtle. He stays behind Kaizuka and watches the fog around for any dangers, but the scenery is unchanging. Whatever was following them is gone. Even the fog looks less intimidating here - like it’s almost ready to recede.

“Alright,” the older man spits angrily, “You two seem fine but that doesn’t mean I trust you. And I sure as hell don’t need any other marauders or infected in the shelter. Roll your shirt sleeves up.”

“Infected?” Kaizuka at once voices Slaine’s fear.

“Just do as he says, and we’ll take you to the shelter,” the younger man shuffles on his feet, worriedly looking around. For a moment Slaine is reminded of himself at fourteen while learning to be a soldier under count Cruhteo. The young man obviously doesn’t have any military experience or training. But if he’s paired with the man for a safeguarding or, maybe, a recon mission - that probably means that the shelter they talk about doesn’t have a lot of military power. Slaine tugs lightly at Kaizuka’s belt, indicating he agrees to follow the order, and rolls his sleeves up; he doesn’t want to stay here and do the idle chatting anymore. If Kaizuka’s sister is somewhere close they should use the men’s help and find her. And Slaine will definitely accompany Kaizuka because that’s the only thing he can do after Kaizuka had done so much for him in the last days. And because there is nowhere else to go to anyway.

Kaizuka rolls his sleeves up as well, and in the next several minutes their arms are thoroughly inspected by the pair. Slaine dislikes how the older man holds his arm - first his left, then his right - but he doesn’t protest and lets the other’s fingers follow his veins and press roughly into his skin. Kaizuka doesn’t pay attention to his own inspection and instead is observing closely the way Slaine is being treated. When their eyes meet something warm suddenly coils in the pit of Slaine’s stomach, and at once he feels confused. It’s surely not the first time Kaizuka watches him, so why is he reacting like this? The feeling is fleeting though because in the next moment the inspection is over, and Slaine’s attention is back to the two men.

“Clear,” the younger guy states. The older one simply nods and turns to walk away. “Follow us; the shelter is not close so we’ll have to walk. Do not talk or make any noise, please.”

They start in a fast pace. The two men lead the way, and Kaizuka keeps near Slaine, his stride steady and purposeful. Slaine soon finishes the bottle of water they had found at the booth. He doesn’t look around anymore, too exhausted for that, but notices the fog is slowly getting thin. The sights around also change. There are some shops now and bus stops. Wilted bushes, decayed trees and the red grass surround them along the way. The smell of distant smoke permeates the air. It seems like they are entering the part of the city intended for the living arrangements. 

When they take a small five-minute break Slaine sits heavily at the edge of the sidewalk, and Kaizuka joins him to share some water, their hips slightly touching. The warmth of the touch burns Slaine pleasantly, and he tells himself he’s very-very tired, because having such surreal feelings is not normal.

“Where is my jacket? My tablet was in the inner pocket. I wanted to check if it would work in the city,” Kaizuka abruptly asks in a whisper.

“Um,” Slaine mumbles, trying to recall the moment they ran from the booth. He sure remembers the feeling of Kaizuka’s jacket in his hands, but he must have lost it during the flight. Now not only his hip burns from warmth, but his cheeks are fired up as well. Slaine feels silly; he just wanted to help and flunked it so easily. He lets his own hand ruffle his tousled hair and offers, “Deceased? Lost in action? Rests in peace along the other trash?”

“Troyard,” Kaizuka huffs accusingly. Kaizuka Inaho _huffs_ , and Slaine’s head whirls with the sudden desire to laugh. Perhaps, the stress is finally coming out? Slaine barely holds back the laughter. 

“Seriously,” he half-hisses, trying to be quiet, but failing to restrain the snorts, “I’ve destroyed your eye. I’ve tried to kill you during the war several times. The world has gone to hell. And you’re _huffing_ at me for _losing your jacket_?”

The two men who are sitting a bit further hastily get up and gesture to them to continue walking so Kaizuka doesn’t answer, but in the last moment Slaine snatches a glance of his face, and he is able to see it. Kaizuka Inaho is smiling. The smile is small, almost shy, just the corners of his lips curved upwards, yet Slaine’s body trembles in a wave of heat he’d never felt before. It roots him to his place, so similar to the feeling of unbearable longing he is familiar with from his past - similar, but not quite. And Slaine has to force himself to stand up, to look away from Kaizuka’s shoulders, the only word ‘no’ repeating in his head like a mantra. He doesn’t understand what this ‘no’ signifies but feels that if he delves any deeper he may regret it forever.

So he doesn’t. And promises himself to never do.

***

The shelter is not what Slaine expects. When they only approach it, tremendously tired from the endless walk, his hopes go up because the entrance to the building where they are headed is severely guarded. He counts more than ten posts with men in military uniforms - surprisingly, Vers’ also - paired in two or three people. Their strategic placing is not bad: they seem to surround the building from all sides and are placed the way they can see each other and use the signal communication without difficulties - a very good thing in case of an incoming attack, since all the electronic devices, including radio, must be dead.

Goosebumps run down Slaine’s back, and the feeling he is watched intensifies as he notices the sniper who follows their approach from the window of an opposite building. The total silence and the heavy atmosphere makes Slaine feel these men know what they are doing, but his hopes are crushed as soon as they are finally let inside.

There isn’t any particular checkup near the main entrance. Slaine stands behind Kaizuka while their convoy talks to the main post in hushed voices. The only phrase he manages to catch is ‘not infected’, and then the guard opens the large glass door, leading inside the two-floor building which looks like a supermarket. Not a bad choice if one thinks about provision, but not the best one, considering one of the first floor walls is made of glass and is easy to break. For a second Slaine imagines the horrid creatures they had seen attacking the place, glass flying everywhere, the roaring sounds of madly working guns, and he isn’t fast enough to stop his hand from suddenly clutching the back of Kaizuka’s shirt. Kaizuka pauses and looks at him questioningly, and Slaine feels how sheer embarrassment floods him. He purses his lips, angry at himself, and mutters, “Nothing,” then hides his traitorous hand in his jeans.

They do not stop to talk because the man leads them further into the building, along the side wall, past the empty rows of goods. The spacey hall is full of trash: empty bottles and boxes, torn and dirty clothing, broken electronic devices litter the floor. Slaine throws a glance at the damaged TV set and remembers that not so long ago he had dreamt about having one in his cell. Oh, how funny life can change so completely in a matter of one day.

As they leave the main hall darkness almost surrounds them, and Slaine has to squint until they reach the large stairs leading up and down. At first he doesn’t notice there are no windows, but as they descend Kaizuka stares at the upper part of the wall for far too long, and Slaine then becomes aware too. The lamps along the ceiling are working and give off the faint silver light. Strange, since Kaizuka had told him, back when they were staying in the village, that he had checked all the generators he could find there, and they were dead, no matter what kind of fuel powered them. The city also had no signs of electricity while they were walking to the shelter so why the lamps are on?

There isn’t much time to think - the stairs end, and behind the simple metal door Slaine finally sees the ‘shelter’ which turns out to be a large basement with several rooms and several dozen people huddled together. The inside is stuffy and full of long shadows; some lamps are functioning here as well. The floor is dusty; part of the space is taken by the boxes with provision, which must have been carried there from the first floor. People are silent and visibly stressed; Slaine is shocked to realize most of them are children. Some adults tend to the kids, the others sleep or sit together under the messy blankets, their faces gray, eyes looking dead.

As they pass the makeshift beds Slaine turns away, his hope wholly crushed. This is not a well-protected shelter, not a permanent solution to the survivors. This is a place that can fall any second, and it doesn’t even have that many people to guard it as they wanted to make it seem outside. ‘A dying place,’ Slaine thinks, suddenly short of air.

“Yuki,” Kaizuka says and unexpectedly rushes forward, into the arms of a woman who comes up to meet them. Slaine stops dead in his tracks. He had heard stories about Kaizuka’s sister from the man, but he’d never guess he’d meet her in person. He had reconciled with the scars he had left in Kaizuka’s life and on his body, because the man had never blamed him but Kaizuka Yuki is another matter. Who knows how she reacts to Slaine being here? How any of the people may react to his identity if they recognize him? People, pushed to their limits, tend to find any person they don’t like guilty of everything. And Slaine definitely isn’t a person to be loved or forgiven.

“Oh, God, Inaho! Inaho!”

There is a rustling of clothes as the two become locked in a desperate embrace. Slaine can’t see Kaizuka’s reaction from where he stands, so instead he watches Yuki’s face and how she buries it into Kaizuka’s shoulder, how tenderly her hands go through the nest of his hair and how she pushes him closer - as close as she can. Tears run down her cheeks freely, being born somewhere deep inside her - a mixture of happiness and grief, something which is only born from sincere love. Something that Slaine never had and never will. He turns away, his gaze stuck at the bare wall. The man who had led them here nods to him and walks away without a word. Probably, Kaizuka Yuki’s emotions are enough of a proof for him of them being harmless.

The moment Slaine dreads finally comes. Kaizuka steps away from his sister, noticeably relieved now, and Kaizuka Yuki looks up at Slaine. He can almost feel her frown, her disapproval, her wariness, but the moment is gone fast. She breathes out, and the look in her eyes changes. As if she discards the negative feelings just like that, in a second. As if she has more important things to consider. As if there’s no time for petty hate.

Kaizuka Yuki extends her hand to Slaine and says loudly, so that he could clearly hear that her words are directed at him as well.

“Come, you two, we need to talk.”


End file.
